ELAW Summer Interns

The ELAW office is a lively place this summer with the presence of six talented interns.

From left to right: Eric, Zoe , Logan, Derek, Melia, Michael.

ELAW is delighted to be working with each of these enthusiastic young people who are dedicated to using their skills and knowledge to protect the environment. They have been essential in increasing ELAW’s capacity to work with attorneys around the world who are striving for social justice and healthy environments in their home communities.

Melia Wagner is contributing her Spanish translation skills to ELAW to better facilitate communication between lawyers working around the world and is compiling a bilingual glossary of legal and scientific terms to share with fellow translation volunteers and interns. Melia holds a B.A in Linguistics with a focus on Spanish and Russian from the University of Oregon and plans to include translation as part of her future career plans.

Zoe Weiss is a junior at the University of Oregon and is the Public Relations Coordinator for the Climate Justice League. She is working with ELAW to provide administrative support, research assistance, and further develop ELAW’s volunteer and intern program. Zoe says, “It’s been an amazing experience seeing the impact that ELAW has around the world, meeting international fellows, and interacting with the wonderful people that comprise the staff here in Eugene. To me, ELAW is so important because it’s not just another law firm; it’s a helping hand to allies of the environment whenever duty calls.”

Eric Robinson has returned to ELAW for a second internship this summer. His French translation skills have helped ELAW connect with colleagues in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is also updating and developing webpages for ELAW and our partners around the globe. Eric will be starting his senior year at Williams College this fall.

Michael Miller is entering his senior year in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Oregon. He brings his experience with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and knowledge of biodiversity, conservation and environmental management to the ELAW science team.

Derek Mills, a rising second year law student from Lewis and Clark Law School is interning with ELAW’s legal team this summer. He writes of his experience, “ELAW has shown me that an interdisciplinary approach has real weight, and that when people are committed to a specific goal they can harmonize modern technology with a tenacious spirit to achieve.”

Logan Krochalis is a rising third year law student at the University of Oregon who is concentrating on international law. She is assisting ELAW’s legal team with in-depth research this summer and has assisted ELAW partners in Nigeria, Honduras, Jamaica, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Keep an eye out for a post later this week about ELAW’s committed volunteers and how you can get involved.